Incendio
by FireSprite
Summary: Dreams are drawing them closer... Draco & Ginny find themselves faced with otherworldly places, irresistable forces & magical objects. Passions fly, Gods are angered & they begin to realize maybe they're not alone after all. [Currently being rewritten.]
1. Pulled Beneath the Surface: Prologue

**Incendio**

_Pulled Beneath the Surface: Prologue _

**FireSprite**

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author's Note: **Well, I've started another fic, and as of right now I _think_ I know where it's going. I really like this prologue, as it seemed to write itself. It took me all of twenty minutes to write these four pages, so I really think I'm onto something here. Enjoy!

**-**

_The forest was dark, almost as though it was descending upon him, the leaves brushed and shuffled as the wind ran freely through them, flying, flying away. The trees were so tall, that to see just the edge of the foliage, you had to crane your neck as far back as it would go. Although it was dense and dark, it was suprisingly warm, as though the lone human was in a tropical forest. _

_The breeze blew again, this time; the figure heard the familiar call, the call he had been waiting for since he realised he was here again. It called to him once more, as faint as the breeze, as though it was far far away, but right there, in his ear. He tried to suppress a shiver. The voice was so feminine, so real, as though this wasn't a dream. _

_He followed it, like he had so many times before, towards the calling, towards the only glimmer of light in the black forest. He picked his way through branches, leaves, trees, shrubbery, and anything else that got in his way. The forest was silent, understanding his importance to hear and follow this vixen voice._

_And soon, he was in the clearing, in the middle of the forest. A break in the leaves up above gave way to a circle of light that landed right in the centre of the clearing. And in that circle of light, there she was. She had her head bent down, her eyes closed and he hands raised above her in some sort of praise. Her red hair glowed in the light, as though her head was one big fiery glow, as if it was a halo, only this time, the halo was on fire. He could see her angel wings, as he had seen before on her, glinting and shining in the light of the forest. They were smaller than he had imagined they would be, but they looked strong, like they could lift her petite form._

_He sucked in a breath, belatedly noticing what she was wearing. She looked heavenly in a small silk dress. It held to her tightly, revealing everything_,_ and no amount of imagination could even go that far. He could see her curves, the gentle slope of her breasts, her hips. The silver dress blew from an unfelt wind, as did her fiery hair and she finally raised her head, and opened her eyes, slowly, as if waking up. She lowered her arms, and motioned to him to come closer. _

_"Come," her voice whispered, so soft and faint yet so clear that he heard perfectly. "Come to me," she said, again. _

_And he did. Slowly, as though afraid of tripping and scaring her off. He walked carefully, curiously, wonder why she wanted him closer. He stopped inches from her. She smiled and gave a small laugh. A laugh of an angel, he later decided. She raised one of her hands, and pushed away some of the hair that had fallen across his face. The touch, it felt as though he was being touched by something sacred; her skin was soft, softer than a flowers petal, and so sure of themselves. Carefully, she tilted his chin down a little, so that he could look at her in the eyes. Her warm brown eyes shone with something, yet he couldn't make it out. She smiled, and ran her other hand across his cheek, making him shiver, before pulling him down and capturing his mouth in a kiss that sent him reeling. He almost fell, and before he could even respond, she was gone and then the forest faded and he was left standing in darkness._

And that's when Draco Malfoy woke up, in a sweat, and wondering why she kept returning to him. Why did Ginny Weasley have him so under her spell that he didn't know what to do?

-

Ginny hummed a little tune as she sat at the desk in the library, wondering how long she had until dinner. Her potions essay wasn't getting done as it should, but she couldn't concentrate. Looking down at the two lines she had written, she decided to call it a day. There would be no use trying now, she was completely distracted by herself. She wouldn't write anymore today anyway.

Putting her stuff away, she got up and swung her bag onto her shoulder, before walking towards the entrance. That's when Draco Malfoy entered, his swagger evident, his smirk already on, and he looked around as if he owned the room. Ginny made an impatient noise; she really didn't want to have to get by him right now. But her little huff of annoyance caught his attention and he turned to look at her. Their eyes locked and both froze. Draco's smirk froze on his face, then slowly faded, as he regarded her with a mixture of rapture and wary and hate. She looked at him, her face unreadable, before pushing herself past him, almost knocking him over as she hurried outside of the corridor, leaving Draco standing by himself in the library.

She ran down the hall, not sure why she was running. The look he had given her, like he knew something to do with her, had scared her so much. Did he know about her dreams? She shook her head, as her eyes widened as her mind sorted through the endless possibilities_. He couldn't, could he?_ She asked herself, _Unless he's a dream walker. Then he knows._

He knew! He knew about her nightly dreams, about how the forest had scared her so much at first, as she walked around, trying endlessly to get out. That's when she had saw him, or at least what she had at least thought was him…

_Ginny trembled with fear. This was a different nightmare than she was used to. Usually, they consisted of snakes and a dark haired wizard with an evil laugh. She shuddered and pushed her thoughts away. Slowly she walked as though being guided by invisible hands where she came upon a lake. It seemed to Ginny there had been no prior warning, there was sign of the forest clearing, and Ginny didn't notice until it was too late. She fell off the cliff, just where the tree lines receded and straight into the icy water. She cried out, but only air escaped her mouth, and water replaced it. She choked and tried to find the surface. But she didn't know what way was up or down now. She was scared. She could feel her supply of air greatly dwindling and she clenched her teeth in determination. Deftly, she swam in the direction of the fading bubbles, hoping she could make it in time, yet the pain in her chest was worsening; she felt as though she would explode. She kept swimming; telling herself it would be only a few more seconds. Yet, as she swam, the seconds seemed longer, the distance between herself and the surface greatly stretching...It seemed to take forever and the pain only got worse and worse. She began to feel light-headed, and the surface gradually sunk from her view. She closed her eyes, and gave herself up to fate._

_Yet… The pain was lessening. It was receding and she dared draw in a breath, and found to her immense relief that she could. She breathed again and almost cried with joy. She wasn't dead, she was wonderfully, gloriously alive. The air surrounded her, making her nightgown stick to her body and she shivered as goose bumps scattered across her skin. It was colder than before and she wasn't sure how she had managed to survive._

_She dared open her eyes, and found that she was on the cliff again. The moon was out, in it's full beauty and the air around her frosted as she breathed in and out. She could see the stars glimmer off in the distance against the midnight blue sky. She sat up, after taking a few tries; her arms seemed too tired to work. She suddenly felt that there was someone behind her. She slowly turned and almost fell back to the ground._

_There, building a fire, was a white haired _angel_. His wings glinted and shone in the moonlight. His back was turned to her, sitting upon the ground, as he poked the fire with a stick. He was very well muscled and broad and he only wore a pair of white pants. As though realising that he was being watched, he turned to her and smiled. Ginny almost fainted. It was an exact replica of Draco Malfoy. Oh, she knew it wasn't Draco Malfoy. Because Draco Malfoy didn't smile. He smirked. _

_"Hello," he whispered, to her, so soft, so clear. "You look cold. Here, let me carry you to the fire," He said, standing up. Ginny tried to protest, but she seemed to be unable to speak – her voice weak from the water she had swallowed. _

_Walking over, he easily scooped her up, holding her close to his bare chest. There might as well been no night-gown, because between Ginny's soaked, clinging excuse of a night-gown and his bare chest, she could feel every touch, every movement. He carried her to the fire, where a sleeping bag she hadn't seen before seemed to appear and he laid her down upon its softness. He smoothed her hair back and kissed her softly on the mouth. He tasted like chocolate, she noticed as she sunk into the kiss. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. Finally, he pulled away and said softly, as he ran a thumb across her cheek, "Sleep well." And he disappeared._

She would wake up after that, the only dream she remembered of the night, and then, every night for the next two weeks. It would always be the same, no detail was left out and Ginny, confused as to why Draco Malfoy haunted her, decided to avoid him until she could figure out anything.

-

**Author's Note #2: **I hoped you liked that, and I hope you do review. Reviewing enables me to improve my writing skills, which is something I'm always striving for. Thanks.


	2. A Memory of a Time: Chapter One

**Incendio**

_Chapter I: A Memory of a Time_

**FireSprite**

**Disclaimer**: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**Author's Note:**Background information: Ginny is in her 6th year, while Draco and company are in their 7th year. So, today I rewrote the Prologue and Chapter One. I hope I can keep this pace up when rewriting all 8 chapters and then be able to update more frequently. I want to thank all the loyal fans that had been asking when I'd be updating this series. There are two answers to that question! Well, it's now updated, but not in the way you'd hope. However, I am going to remove some plot lines, get rid of some minor characters. Basically, things that were distracting me from the real story, so I can hopefully move past this hopelessness I seem to have created with this story and finish it!

**-**

_Ginny looked down and realized, to her horror, that her short night-gown was wet, and it clung to her as though it was painted on. She shivered as the wind blew around her, causing her to be pushed slightly, pushed in the direction of a quiet glow coming from within the forest. Her eyes widened; she had never seen a light before in the forest. This was a new twist to her dream. She didn't like it. With a cautious look behind her, she tucked a stray stand of her hair behind her ear, noticing dimly that her hair wasn't at all wet, like the rest of her. She walked quietly towards the light._

_When she was no more than twenty feet from the light, she stopped, and hid behind a large oak tree, so large that it seemed to go on forever into the night sky. Peering around the tree, she looked towards the direction the light was coming from. It was a clearing, and Ginny gasped at what she saw._

_In the middle of the pool of light, created by the giant trees breaking, was a baby unicorn, grazing on the forest floor peacefully. Ginny caught her breath, staring in amazement as it calmly raised its head and looked straight at her with big, unblinking eyes. It was if it could see right into her soul. She swallowed nervously, but gradually her body relaxed. The unicorn almost seemed to recognize her and it neighed impatiently, pawing its front hooves on the ground almost like it was waiting for her to approach it. It took a moment before Ginny gathered the courage to quietly slip out from behind the tree and walk into the light, towards the unicorn. _

_She stalled, though, just in front of it, wondering what to do. However, the unicorn walked right up to her and nuzzled her hand, which cause a smile to flit onto Ginny's face. The skin was so very soft, and as Ginny ran her hand delicately over the baby's neck and back, she felt as though her fingers were dancing on pure silk. Suddenly, something heavy fell into the hand Ginny had been using to pet the underside of its neck, and she almost dropped it. Curiously, she bent her head down to look at it, when the unicorn started, letting off a loud neigh, before turning around and running straight out of the clearing and into the dense forest. Ginny froze immediately and began listening. Nothing normal could have scared of the unicorn like that. She quickly slipped whatever was in her hand into her night-gown pocket, and looked around cautiously, trying to make out the details of the forest, of the trees._

_Faintly, she could hear the rustling of leaves breaking under footsteps and the sounds of twigs being snapped. She turned around, eyes wide, watching the same place where she had come from with a trembling bottom lip. There was a muffled sound and the white haired angel fell out of the brush. Except the angel held no wings, and there was no smile upon his face. Ginny took a step back and watched with baited breath, wondering what was going on. This was nothing like her other dream._

_Draco stood up and upon looking at her he stopped walking completely. His eyes locked with hers, and a pensive look formed on his face as he took in her appearance. They stared at each other for almost two full minutes before suddenly, the forest faded, as did Draco from Ginny's eyes._

-

"Ginny," Ron said, looking up at her as she slipped between Dean and Harry at breakfast the next mornig, "You look tired." Ginny only nodded silently, as she took a piece of toast and picked it apart on her plate, which cause Harry, Ron and Hermione to shoot each other glances.

"You feeling OK, Gin?" Hermione tried.

Ginny shook her head, and sighed. "I just had a bad nights sleep, you know?" This statement caused further looks from the table. "And no, it's not the type of dreams you're thinking of." Ron's face relaxed a little, but he still looked worried.

Ginny raised a piece of the toast to eye-level and was eyeing it with much disturst, when giggles forced her to take a quick look at the entrance. Draco Malfoy had just walked in, which is why the giggles had erupted from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables. He shot the Hufflepuff table his trademark smirk, causing more giggles to emerge.

"Excuse me," Ginny said, quickly, standing up so fast she almost hit Dean right in the jaw with her elbow. "I don't feel well," she mumbled as she practically ran out of the Hall.

"Do you get the feeling she's not telling you something?" Ron asked the other three, with eyebrows raised.

"I'll go find her," Dean said, getting up and dropping his fork on his plate, "She couldn't have gone far," he added.

"Thanks, Dean," Ron said quietly, watching Dean leave the Great Hall. "She's been acting weirdly the last two weeks," he said in a low voice, leaning in close so that others wouldn't hear. "I'm worried about her… I think something's bothering her. I just hope it's nothing like last time…" Ron made a grimace, and Harry nodded. They both remembered the last time Ginny had been acting weird and talking of troubled sleep. Both Harry and Ron turned to look at Hermione.

"What?" She asked, then after a pause, "Oh, so you think that I know what's wrong with her…" She said, looking a little upset. "Ginny and I may be friends, but she doesn't tell me things. At least, not things like this."

"Harry… You know how Ginny used to fancy you," Ron said, desperately, "May-"

"Ron," Harry cut in, "First off: Ginny isn't even close to fancying me anymore! Secondly: Even if she was did still have feelings for me, I wouldn't use that to manipulate her," His emerald eyes had become dark, and he glared at Ron, while leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.

"Fine! Fine," Ron said, throwing up his arms, "I guess I'm just being too brotherly, it's just… With You-Know-Who back… I'd feel safer, you know, I'd just-" He stopped to run his hand through his hair and stare at his plate, sighing deeply

"I wouldn't worry, Ron," Hermione said soothingly, reaching across the table to smooth his unruly hair down. "It's probably just a cold or something. She'll get some Pepper-Up Potion and be fine. You'll see," she added, sounding so confident that Ron smiled.

But, inside, Hermione was furiously thinking. Something had triggered Ginny's sudden disappearance and she wondered if it had anything to do with the _appearance_ of a certain blonde.

-

Dean was right – Ginny wasn't far. She was actually just a corridor away from the Gryffindor common room. She was sitting in the window seat, back against the wall, knees drawn up, looking out the window, with a troubled expression on her face.

"Gin?" He tried, feeling shut out. Ginny was one of his best friends, ever since they had dated two years ago. While the relationship hadn't lasted long, the friendship had and it had taken on a life of its own. Together, they were troublemakers, secret-sharers, advice-givers, and Dean could hardly imagine Ginny not being in his life. She was his very own support system, she knew exactly what to say to him with every up and down, and the subtle change he had been noticing over the past few weeks had him worried. It seemed as if she had been retreating into her own shell, opting to stay in her dorm rather than go down into the common or even onto the grounds, and it was more apparent with every passing night. Getting no answer from Ginny, he kneeled down besides her and gently touched her arm, trying to reach her.

She jerked away from his as though burned when he touched her, her head snapping around to see who it was. She was breathing heavily as if having flown to the top of Mount Everest and back within a few minutes and Dean could see the drops of tears pushing their way to the front of her eyes. She shrunk away from him.

"Please don't," she whispered, as she scrambled to get to her feet.

"Gin, I just want to help-" he started.

"Please don't!" Ginny said in a very strained voice. It was as if she were about to fall apart at the seams and all she couldn't move. She pleaded with him. "You – you wouldn't understand. _No one does_," she said, before closing her eyes as if she had a headache. "Just…." She whispered, before opening her eyes, "I can take care of myself," she looked at him with big, round eyes. "Please."

Dean looked at her for a moment, before sighing and nodding. "It's your secret to keep, Ginny. But I'll be here if you need me."

"Thank you, Dean," Ginny said quietly, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before she walked down the hall, disappearing around the turn.

-

Ginny was tired. She felt like she had been running all day, long and hard. Running away from anyone and everyone. Her heart had pounded in her chest as she had ran up and down stairs, running in the opposite direction of noise, even if that meant going around in circles. Her chest had tightened as it had slowly needed air, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. Now, legs aching, she sat on the cool tile floor, her forehead resting against the cold wood.

She couldn't tell Dean and she didn't know why. On one hand, he was her best friend in the world. She had always told him everything, everything and anything. But on the other hand, Ginny was getting this feeling that he wasn't supposed to know, for some special reason. It was something she felt now, something important was telling her to stop sharing her feelings and thoughts with him, as though he was bad, almost a traitor… toxic. Yet, he had never done anything to hurt her in any way. Nevertheless, she listened to whatever it was in her head that was telling her this. So she had run, run to the one place she knew no one wouldn't even dream to look for her: Moaning Myrtle's bathroom.

This bathroom was the one place she feared to tread now, because of the incident that had happened to her in her first year. Everyone in her year now knew, and even those who didn't know didn't like coming to this bathroom anyway. She would be safe here.

Ginny shivered and got up off the floor, where she had been sitting and walked to the mirror to look at herself. She saw a tired young woman, someone who was lost. As she leaned in closer, she felt something chink the china of the sink, something down by her hip. Looking down, she noticed that there was something in the pocket on her robe that she hadn't noticed before. She reached her hand into it, and drew out a green emerald stone hanging on a soft chain of gold. She caught her breath, as she held it up to the dim light in the bathroom. Peering hard at it, she looked at it with her head cocked to one side. It was definitely one of the more exquisite things Ginny had ever seen and touched.

Reaching up with her other hand, she touched the emerald softly as it hung there, gently swaying with the unsteadiness of her hand. As she caressed it delicately, it began to glow green. The colour reflected in Ginny's eyes as she continued to gaze upon its beauty, bringing it inches from her face. It shone, and then in the very depths of the emerald mist began to swirl, slowly sucking the green out of the jewel, rendering it completely white, whilst the mist continued to swirl. A picture began to form, slowly; as though tuning itself like you would to a WWN radio. It was blurry at first, before it became clearer and clearer still. Ginny now realized what she was looking at: It was a projection of a sword. A most particular sword, with a gold handle, and the blade itself a deep colour of blood red. It looked extremely strong, as though cutting through anything in the world, _anything_, would be easy, and as it hovered in mid-air inside the forecast it slowly revolved and twirled until it spun faster, and faster still. It spun and spun, going so fast it too soon became a blur and Ginny could see no more of its detail. And then…. It disappeared, in a cloud of white smoke, and the smoke turned green again, slowly filling out into the jewel, until it looked exactly as it had been before.

Ginny held the stone at arms length, looking at it. She had never seen something so odd in her life, it was as if it were enchanted, knowing exactly when to portray its deepest secret and Ginny bit her lip, not quite sure what to do with the stone itself. She looked at it again, through the corners of her eyes, before turning to the mirror again and staring into her reflection. Making a quick, perhaps foolish, decision, she undid the clasp on the chain, and gathered her hair up with one hand, before effectively pinning the pendant around her neck. She let her hair fall down, and she leaned forward to see to see how it looked upon her pale skin. She let a hand graze over it in the mirror, and smiled happily.

It looked ethereal on her milky white skin. Like it had always been there, like it was supposed to be there. And slowly, she noticed a slight change in her face. Her eyebrows became more defined, her skin smoothed and her lips became redder. Again she smiled: she looked so heavenly she couldn't help it. Was this really herself in the mirror? She wondered, as she continued to gaze upon her reflection. She noticed that her hair was growing slowly, to end at her waist, and she became to get a bit worried. Looking down at the jewel, she saw it was glowing. Confused, she looked into the mirror; the emerald wasn't glowing in her reflection. Scared, she clasped the stone, ready to tear it off, yet she stopped, because she needed to look one last time in the mirror and then screamed when she saw Draco staring back at her.

-

Draco paced in a circle in the dorm he shared with the other 7th year boys. He ran his hand through his hair and swore under his breath. How the hell did this happen? he asked himself. Why was Ginny Weasley always in his dreams, never leaving him in peace? Her brown eyes were always there, looking at him, seeing right through him, as though she could tell exactly what he was thinking. It scared him… and excited him a bit, as much as he hated to admit it. Remembering those eyes, he suppressed a shiver. He wanted to see them wanton with lust, lust for him and him alone. He wanted her lips on his body, everywhere on his body, but especially on the part that reacted most when she looked at him with those _damn_ eyes. He wanted her so bad he felt like a crazed man: someone shown what could be and what will be. Someone forced to know that whatever they do, it will never turn out how it could be, but always what it will be. Telling himself to relax, to forget her, he walked over to his bed, laying down on it, putting his hands behind his head and staring out the window.

Yet, he couldn't stop thinking of her. Instead of giving up, he decided that perhaps if he just solved what was going on, those eyes would leave him alone. And they had to. Already, this little _obsession _of his had gone too far. He couldn't stop thinking of her. And if his father ever suspected, ever found out, well… There would be hell to pay.

Something was changing as well. The dream the night before had been different from the earlier ones. They hadn't ever changed before; yet, last night, it was different, and he swore that it was _actually_ Ginny in that one, instead of whatever vixen was pretending to be her. It had been the way she seemed so surprised to see him there, as if he had no right. It had been the way her night-gown had moulded itself to her body; so wondrously moulding itself, hugging every single curve, the way it had looked so _real_. So damn real. And it had been those eyes, the smoking brown eyes. No dream could have ever made him react that way, no dream had ever had. Not even in Veela-dreams had he been that aroused. _Aroused by a Weasley_, he thought, _Gods, if my father found out about that…_

Sighing, he got up off the bed. He was too restless to sleep or lie down now. He paced again, wondering what he should do. Running a hand through his immaculate hair, he considered his options. _Act like nothing was wrong? Tell someone? Talk to that Weasley?_

He shook his head. It just wouldn't work. If he continued acting normally, the dreams would drive him insane. He wouldn't be able to think of anything else until he was satisfied. He couldn't tell any one – at least not anyone in Slytherin; you could never trust those bastards. And he didn't have any friends outside of his house. That only left…

_Talking to Ginny._

Swearing again in how many minutes, he strode to the dresser, and rested his hands on its smooth edges, leaning heavily upon them, wondering what to do. He hated the situation he found himself in. He wasn't in control and Draco did not like not being in control. He loathed it.

Looking up though, he looked in the mirror, and saw Ginny Weasley looking right back at him. Startled, Draco backed up for a second, staring at the mirror in wonder. _Was Dark magic doing this? _he wondered. It was possible. _Anything was possible in Slytherin,_ he reminded himself.

He came closer to the mirror, deciding that it couldn't kill him, even if it did try. Nothing could kill Draco Malfoy. Even so, he cautiously approached the mirror and held up his hand up to its surface, and felt relief when it touched the hard surface of glass. So cool. So smooth. So flawless in its beauty and perfection. He looked up, and saw Ginny screamed and back away, eyes wide. She, too, didn't know what was going on.

Then, it slowly dawned on him. This wasn't Ginny. This couldn't be Ginny. Her hair was longer than he remembered, her face… It was somehow different. It was… perfect, perfect just like the glass, he realized hurriedly. But they were the same eyes. They had to be. He watched as she seemingly looked at him, as if trying to decide if he was real or not. She gave him a look, as though to say, _Don't you dare tell anyone_, and stepped forward hesitantly, before putting her hand up to the glass too.

Draco felt her warm skin press against his.

Eyes flew to each other's – Ginny's wide, Draco's surprised. Their eyes locked, and he felt that she was feeling the same way he was: Frightened; yet exhilarated. She was looking scared – scared but flushed. Her cheeks were red, not an uncomfortable red, but a sexual blush, lighting up her eyes, her whole composure. Draco felt her skin against his. It was smooth and warm, soft. Just like he had imagined it. He imaged that she was just as soft elsewhere, and his immediately felt a slight twinge of guilt – it was as if he was undressing her with his eyes.

Suddenly, Ginny jumped and her hand fell away. She turned and spoke to someone, before nodding. Quickly, she grabbed her wand, which had been lying on the sink's surface, giving Draco a look he couldn't decipher and ran from the room.

And Draco was looking upon himself.

-

Hermione looked at Ginny, an eyebrow arched. Ginny could tell that she was thinking – she recognized that calculating look that she got whenever she was faced with a problem. Slowly, Ginny exhaled as she followed Hermione down the hall. She wondered how long her brother's best friend had been standing there. _Had she seen Draco?_ she wondered silently; scared to know the answer. She wanted to tell Hermione more than anything. _Yet_, Ginny thought, shaking her head, _she'll tell someone, and I don't even know what this is yet. I want to know what this is first. I need to figure this out on my own._

Ginny looked down, towards her feet, feeling the need to hide when she noticed that the gem was still hanging around her neck, swinging slightly against her chest as she walked. With a look around, she tucked the pendant down under her shirt, holding it in her fist underneath the material for a moment.

Hermione had stopped walking, having reached an empty classroom. She motioned for Ginny to enter the classroom and Ginny did quickly, quietly, sitting on the table the moment she entered and clasping her hands together before resting them on her lap. She looked at Hermione, hoping to be a picture of innocence.

"So…" Hermione said, her fingers dancing across the plains of the wood table. "You seem to be…" She gave Ginny a sharp look, before continuing. "You seem to be hiding something. Care to explain?" She asked, getting straight to the point, something Ginny was glad for. The quicker Ginny lied, that quicker she'd be out of there.

"Hiding something?" Ginny asked, feigning ignorance. It wasn't hard, having learned all she could from the masters: her twin brothers Fred and George. "Where in the world did you get that? I just haven't been feeling well lately."

Hermione looked at her, trying to tell whether she was bluffing or not. Finally… "You _can_ tell me anything, you know. I won't go running off to Ron or Harry, you do understand? I didn't tell them when I first found out about you and Dean," she said, quietly, the words carrying well over the quiet of the room. Somewhere off in the distance, a bell rang. It was dinnertime. Both girls looked at each other.

"There's nothing to tell," Ginny said, softly. "I just haven't been feeling well." Hermione frowned, but nodded.

"All right. I'm holding that to you," She said, smiling slight, if not worriedly. "Just know that I will always be here for you, okay?"

"I know." Ginny slipped off the table, and onto the floor. "Thanks."

And with that, the two girls walked towards the Great Hall. Yet, in their hearts, they both knew that things were definitely not all right.

-

Dinner was pretty quiet, for the most part. The Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Slytherins girls all giggled when Draco entered, _yet again_. Dean and Seamus were flirting with all the girls at the Gryffindor table – even the first years, though Dean stopped when Ginny entered and sent her an inquiring look. She just smiled at him and shook her head. Ron got in a huge row with Harry about Quidditch teams, which ended when Hermione both silenced them with a silencing spell. They were now trying desperately to talk, opening their mouths and trying to yell. Hermione pretended to ignore them, her book propped up against the pumpkin juice, making annoyed sounds every once in a while as the boys kept tapping people on the shoulders, trying to get them to undo the spell. It was useless – for the most, the Gryffindors were enjoying the peace and quiet, and they weren't about to give it up.

Ginny was sitting towards the end, a few seats down from where Harry and Ron struggled uselessly. Dean came over and sat next to her. They were having a light, unobtrusive conversation – neither one of them mentioning what had happened early, as though following some sort of written rule. They were talking about the next Hogsmeade weekend when something happened. Something that no one had ever seen, in the whole seven years they had been at Hogwarts.

Draco Malfoy stood up and walked over to the Gryffindor table, coming to stand right behind Ginny. He had his hands in the pockets of his trousers, and he rolled on the ball of his feet as he waited for Ginny to notice. He looked the epitome of cool and calmness. Finally when Dean had stopped looking at Ginny and was now glaring at something behind her, she noticed him when she turned around to see what Dean was glaring at.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" She asked, glaring at him, trying in vain to remember every single thing he had done to her to make her hate him. She came up blank and cursed inwardly.

"We need to talk, Weasel," he said, as though Weasel was her name and not just some sort of name-calling.

"Why would I even bother giving you the score in the Quidditch game, never mind talking to you?" she said, coldly. A few seats over, Ron gave a muffled noise as he finally noticed Draco talking to his sister. Pointing his wand, he showed Harry, who was giving him a weird look, what he was trying to say.

"You know why," Draco said, saying nothing more.

"Hunh?" Dean said. "Gin, what does he mean?" Ginny ignored him and continued looking at Draco with cool, calculating eyes.

"Fine. Five minutes, that's all you get!" She said, starting to stand up.

"Knew you'd see it my way" Draco said, smirking slightly, causing Ginny to stop getting up. She glared at him for a moment.

"Don't push your luck, Malfoy!" she threatened. Suddenly, she heard a muffled sound and turned around to see Ron falling over his chair in an attempt to get out of it. He scurried up off the floor, and along with Harry they ran over to Draco.

Ron tried to say something, but the charm was still in place. Draco stood, amused, the smirk presiding over his features as he watched Ron try to yell.

"What's the matter, Weasley?" He asked, mockingly, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Mudblood got your tongue?" Ron paled for a moment, before lunging at Draco, Harry right behind him, who was quickly pulling out his wand.

"Ron! Stop!" Ginny cried, horrified, as the two boys fell to the floor, arms flying, legs tangling, fists punching. Quickly, she bent down and grabbed Ron by the arm, trying to pull him off. She didn't have the strength though. She ended up being thrown to the ground as Ron shoved her off. She fell on her hand wrong, and immediately she knew something was wrong as pain shot in streaks up her arm. Looking down at it, she gave a small moan when she saw that the hand was hanging limply and at an odd angle. When she tried frantically to move it, it wouldn't. The pain was worsening now, as red-hot streaks flew up her arm and her eyes began to water. She knew exactly from the feeling what had happened, having broke her ankle two years ago. "Bloody hell, Ron!" she cried, "You broke my wrist!"

The boys stopped fighting immediately. Harry and Ron looked at her, and slowly stood up. Ginny got up with the help of Hermione, who had run over when she saw Ginny fall. Hermione quickly undid the charm having realized the fight was her fault. Ron stared forward.

"Gin, listen, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking – " he started to say.

"That much is obvious!" Ginny interrupted, clinging her arm to her body. "Shove it! I don't want to hear it now, all right? I'm going to the hospital wing."

"I'll take you!" Ron said, quickly, coming over.

"No!" Ginny snapped. "You done enough damage trying to help. I'll take myself. I'll be fine. Just leave me alone!" And with that, Ginny left the Great Hall, which was already quickly beginning to buzz with gossip and news after having gone silent to watch the fight. Harry, Ron and Hermione stared after her; none of them realizing until it was too late that Draco had also disappeared

-

Ginny was lying in the hospital wing. It was dark, the night having descended upon the sky hours before, casting dark shadows in and around castle. Ginny couldn't sleep, so instead, she contented herself with watching the stars through the window, watching the moon shine, and the clouds swirl around the night sky. It was so peaceful – totally opposite of what she was feeling right now.

She was angry at her brother, at Draco, at Hermione, at the whole bloody world. Yet… She was sad, lonely. Terribly lonely. Even when Ron had come to visit her with Harry and Hermione, had she felt alone in the hospital ward. She yearned for something, she realized, something she couldn't have, nor had. Something… But, she didn't know what.

Shaking her head, Ginny got up out of bed. If Madam Pomfrey found her, she'd be in trouble for being out of bed, but she couldn't stay so restless. Even though she was completely healed, she still had to wear a brace on her wrist in case she broke the already tender bone and stay the night, upon Madam Pomfrey's insistence, and much to Ginny's annoyance.

Walking to the window, she tugged at the sachet, trying to open the pane of glass to allow some fresh air in. Suddenly, a sense filled the air, drifting in and around her and she stopped tugging at the window. She knew that smell… But from where? Then it hit her: it smelled like the forest in her dreams.

Spinning around, she saw Draco standing in the doorway, looking calm and collected. He simply looked her over.

"What are you doing here!" she whispered, lest she wake Madam Pomfrey. Draco smirked.

"Did you know that when you stand in the moonlight like that, I can see through your night-gown and see your knickers?" he asked, amused. Ginny stared at him, shocked. She quickly moved away from the window, and glared at him.

"You… You pervert!" She hissed, and wrapped a blanket around herself – just to make sure. Draco chuckled, pleased at riling her up. "Get out!" Ginny hissed again.

Draco sobered immediately and looked at her, stonily.

"A Weasley does _not_ tell a Malfoy to get out!" he spat, and walked quickly over to her. Ginny backed up against the wall, her blanket dropping out of her fumbling hands. She almost tripped over it before her back hit against the wall. Draco walked right up to her, and looked down at her as she looked up at him, eyes wide with fear. Malfoys, she knew, had horrid tempers. His eyes looked her up and down, as if assessing her. "Pity," he finally spoke. "If you weren't a Weasley, I'd ravish you right now."

Ginny couldn't believe he was so forward, so vile. She jutted her chin out and looked at him defiantly. "What makes you think I'd want you even touching me, anyway, Malfoy?" she asked him, making her voice sound as though she were incredibly disgusted. A smirk graced his lips again.

"Oh," he said, "I think you would." Ginny glared at him and went to slap him, but he grabbed her hand in time. "Ah, ah, ah," he taunted. "That isn't a wise decision." He stepped closer to her, making her back up more into the wall. "Scared?" his voice was one of amusement.

"Afraid you'll touch me with your dirty hands!" Ginny shot back, wrenching her unbroken hand out of his grasp.

"If I were to touch you Weasley, you'd tremble under my touch." He spoke so evenly, so confidant, that Ginny burst out laughing. His eyes narrowed. "You don't think you would?" He asked, harshly. "I have talents that you are not aware of." His only response was more laughter from Ginny.

Furious, he pushed himself against her, pinning her to the wall. Immediately, the laughter stopped. Draco lowered his face to hers, and for one fleeting moment, Ginny thought he was going to kiss her. But he simply traced her bottom lip with his index finger, his eyes intent on them, as she looked up at him. Then with a tap on her nose, he let her go. She looked at him, confused.

"What the bloody hell was that?" she demanded. Draco shrugged, his hands now in the pockets of his trousers; again an image of indifference.

"That is not what I came here for." He turned back to her bed and sat down on it. Ginny decided against sitting on her bed as well, as stayed as she was, up against the wall.

"Well?" she asked, irritably.

"Are you always so impatient?" he demanded. Ginny just glared. "Fine, fine. We need to talk. And you know why." He looked at her, but she wouldn't look at him. She seemed tense, he noticed. Her shoulders were hunched up and she stared at the wall, her lips a thin line.

Finally, she looked at him. "You're not a dream walker, are you?" she asked.

-

**Author's Notes #2: **Please be patient as I try to rewrite the rest of the story as fast as I can. Hopefully it won't take too long. As always, read and review! Almost all of the reviews are a collection from the various chapters, so some may spoil what is ahead of you if you are new to this series.


	3. Slipping Away: Chapter Two

**Incendio**

_Slipping Away: II_

**FireSprite**

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The quote and title of the chapter comes from the song "Nobody Wants to be Lonely" sung by Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

_"Time is precious and it's slipping away…"_

_-_

Laughter danced in and around the trees, the sound echoing as it reverberated off each and every trunk in the forest. The laughter could be described in many ways; evil, taunting, angelic, siren-like, pure and perhaps even hellish. Indeed the laughter was a mixture of all things and more.

"Oh, Taranis, you're no fun!" a redheaded woman said, pounting as she leaned against one of the trees. Her red hair burned like fire, caused by the afternoon sun catching the colour of it, lighting it up in the early day. A male, ten feet away, squatted near the ground, one hand resting on his knee while the other held something. He looked up at her.

"Maeve," he spoke, fiercely. "You're playing with _mortals_ here. It is _not_ our place to interfere!"

"Ah, but we've already interfered!" The woman nodded as she pushed off from the tree and went to sit down on a wood bench. The bench had no back, but was just a panel of raw wood resting on two tree trunks. Behind the woman, a brook bubbled as it slowly moved down the slopping hillside. The sun was warm and inviting and all around was a a bright and saturated green, from the grass, to the huge leaves on the trees. Birds sung in the background and a fox walked quietly across the forest floor, paying no attention to the two figures. The woman smiled, displaying her perfect, white teeth. "And you aided me, mon chèr. How can you just sit back now and watch it?"

"Because unlike you, wench, I think it is in the best interest of the balance of our universe to figure it out themselves!" he spat at her.

"Ah, Taranis, you were the one who planted the gem on that… _girl _of ours." Maeve spoke with distaste when mentioning the girl. Taranis got up, sighing, and thrust a clump of grass into her face.

"Do you not see this? It is yellow! _Dios mio_!" he swore, running a hand through his white hair. "Already it is happening; our world is falling apart. The balance has already been upset."

Maeve sniffed. "O Mon dieu," she swore. "Our would is not falling apart." She smiled, then she studied Taranis for a moment, her eyes watching him carefully as he walked away from her and sat down on a flat rock next to the brook. He dipped his feet into the cool water and stared into water, seemingly absorbed in his own thoughts. "And besides, you enjoyed kissing that mortal, neh?" Taranis froze.

"That is no concern of yours!" he hollered, his pale cheeks going red.

"Ah, I was right." Maeve's eyes glittered. "You have fallen for the child. A wee thing, is she not?"

"She is no child…" Taranis muttered, looking into the water again.

"She looks no more than seventeen, by my guess," Maeve added, smiling. "Need I remind you that your three-thousandth birthday is coming up?" she asked.

"You know that age has no relevance in our world," Taranis muttered. "We are immortal, it does not matter how old I am. I am still young-looking."

"Hmm… Yes, yes you are," Maeve conceided, standing up from the bench and twirled, letting her long dress sway with the movement. It was a gorgeous dress, and Maeve took pride in it. The long green velvet held to her body as though tailored, a bodice held her breasts high and the gold trimmed glimmered in the sunlight. Maeve let her red hair, as long as her waist and perfectly straight bounce back as she stopped twirling. She wore no shoes, though one did not need any; the grass was as soft as carpet.

She walked over to Taranis gracefully. She put a hand on his pale, smooth chest, and draped one over his shoulder. "If you let me…" she whispered seductively, "you'll get to see the girl again." Taranis' jaw clenched as he thought and Maeve ran a finger over the jaw.

"Mi dios!" he said, softly, as if realizing something. He looked up into her eyes. "You like the boy! That's why you want us to see them again." Maeve laughed.

"The boy?" she asked, looking bored. "Please. He is merely a young mortal. Granted, he likes me. He enjoys my company." She smiled wickedly, then, "I excite him."

Taranis laughed deeply, "_You_ excite him? _Kien_, Maeve. He thinks you are the girl. He is excited by the _girl_. You only look like the girl because you chose so." Maeve glared at Taranis, and flipped her hair.

"I _am_ the girl, you fool," she said icily. "I chose that girl, I chose her myself, and so therefore I am her."

"You," Taranis said, looking right at her, "are immortal. Immortals cannot share anothers' life-spirit. She is separate from you."

"I can be whatever I please!" Maeve pouted, looking every bit like a spoiled child.

"We cannot mess with otherworldly fates, Maeve," Taranis spoke with a pleading tone. "You _know_ what will happen when we do that. It's already gone too far. We have already done too much: the gem, the mirror. Let us leave them to their own devices. They have found the path. It was only supposed to be once, you know that as well as I. Leave them."

"I will not!" Maeve crossed her arms. "You will have your _girl_ and I will have the boy!" And with that, she melted into thin air, vanishing from Taranis's face. He sighed, and looked down upon the water and felt saddened. Where Maeve had been standing was now a whole patch of yellow, dead grass. _It is already beginning,_ he thought to himself. _Soon there will be nothing left of this paradise._ With that, he too, disappeared.

_-_

"You're not a dream walker, are you?" Ginny asked, looking at Draco. It was a moment before Draco reacted but when he did, he threw his head back and roared with laughter. Ginny looked around frantically; if Madam Pomfrey found him here, and her half out of bed, they'd be done for. Quickly, she put her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" she whispered fiercely. To her astonishment, he did. Slowly, Ginny lowered her hand; suspicious that Draco might laugh again, just to spite her. She listened for some sort of sound from within the nurse's chambers, but there was none. Sighing, she looked over at Draco who was watching her curiously. "What?" she snapped. Immediately the curious expression on Draco's face was replaced by a smirk.

"Nothing," he said, innocently. "So, to answer your question, no. A dream walker I am not." Ginny let out a breath of air she didn't know she had been holding. "What I came here to talk for, though," Draco continued on, "was something along those lines."

Ginny looked at him, studying him. "So…" she said, quietly, "You've been having the dreams too?" Draco nodded, slowly.

"But…" he said, quietly, hoping she wouldn't hear any sort of hope in his voice, "are they the same dreams?" Ginny bit her lip. She looked out the window, as she had been doing earlier, watching the peaceful sky, and hoping that it would give her some sense of calmness.

"In my dream," she said, still looking out the window, "I drown. But then… I'm saved…" she turned to Draco. "I'm saved by you. Or, at least what I think is you."

Draco frowned. "Then we haven't been having the same dream. Mine is in a forest. I'm walking – "

"A forest?" Ginny asked, interrupting Draco. "I've been to that forest too," she said, with a nod. "That's where I got…" Ginny stopped talking, got off her bed, and bent down to open a draw besides the table. "That's where I got this," Ginny continued as she pulled out the gem she had been keeping in the drawer.

"Where did you get that?" Draco asked. "_You_ wouldn't be able to afford something like that," he said. Ginny stopped looking at the gem, and gave Draco the dirtiest look she could muster.

"I hoped that you would remain civil at least while in the hospital wing!" she hissed. "But I guess a Malfoy just can't keep his bloody mouth shut!" She was now standing with her hands on her hips now, leaning over slightly.

"Moonlight, Weasley," he said, with a nod to the window. "You have to remember how see-through that smock is."

"Is that all you think about?" Ginny spat, as she sat back down on the bed quickly.

"Basically," Draco replied, dryly.

"Gods!" Ginny groaned, letting her head fall back on the pillow. She closed her eyes, lying there for a while, one hand on her forehead, as if she had a headache. She then opened her eyes and sat up. "You're a bastard, you know that?" Ginny asked, looking straight at him.

"Thanks, Weasley," Draco smirked. "That means a lot to me, you know?" Ginny refused to answer him. She turned away from him and looked down at the gem pooled in her hand. For some reason, looking at it, touching it, calmed her down much more than any potion could. Feeling frustrated, she touched it softly with her finger.

"Listen," Draco said, clearing his throat, "as much as I hate to interrupt your 'special' moment with that gem of yours, I'd really rather be somewhere else." He smirked as Ginny shot him an annoyed glance.

"Are you trying to get hit or something?" Ginny asked, looping the gem around her neck without even thinking. "Because that _can_ be arranged. I have lived with seven brothers, I know how to fight," she added, doing up the clasp.

"Weasley… That temper of yours is going to get you in trouble some day," Draco said, in a bored voice. "I don't blame you for getting all hot and bothered around me, but no need to shout." Suddenly Draco found himself falling off the bed and onto the floor, with a loud thump. Ginny stood over him, glaring down.

"Hot and bothered?" she hissed. "Never knew you were a comic, Malfoy." She turned around and got on the bed, pulling the covers up. "You can go, Malfoy," she yawned, "I'm in no mood for talking tonight." She settled down.

"What? Oh no!" Draco scowled and got up, dusting his robe off as he did. "I did not just spend half an hour with you just to get nowhere. We're going to talk, and talk we will."

"Sod off, Malfoy," came the sleepy insult from Ginny as she closed her eyes and turned over. He stood there for a while, at a lost of what to do, but then decided she just wasn't worth his time anymore. He strode out of the room, angry at himself for wasting his time with her.

One of Ginny's eyes opened as the door closed. She smiled to herself before closing her eyes again.

_-_

Ginny woke up the next day, to see Madam Pomfrey standing over her, clipboard in hand.

"Oh," she said. "Good, you're awake. Now up, child. I need to strip these sheets and wash them."

Ginny obliged, getting up and stretching before gathering her clothes and heading to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and noticed that her red hair was still longer. Her face was smoother, and she still looked as she did when she had first put the small gem on. Looking down, she saw that it was still there, resting on her collarbone, stark green against the paleness of her skin. It wasn't glowing; no it looked quite normal in fact, which was odd considering it hadn't ever been normal. With a confused glance in the mirror, she decided to keep it on. It couldn't hurt, could it?

She quickly changed, and stepped out into the main hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey came bustling over quickly, taking her hand without asking and started moving it at all angles.

"Now tell me if any of this hurts," she instructed and Ginny nodded, not feeling like talking. A moment later, the nurse was done, stepping back and nodding with satisfaction. "Good, all healed. You may go," she added as she walked back into her office.

"Thank you…?" Ginny said to her retreating figure, before shrugging and grabbing her bag, hauling it over her shoulder.

Ginny's stomach was growling quite fiercely, so she decided to head down the Great Hall to see if she could snatch a quick breakfast before classes started. Walking in, she noticed that there only a few stragglers sitting around, eating slowly, apparently not caring that they were going to be late. She sat down by herself and quickly buttered a piece of toast. Looking around the Great Hall, she noticed Draco was also sitting by himself at the Slytherin, glaring at her. She ignored him, and finished off her toast, before grabbing her bag again and leaving.

Just as she was about to head up the stairs, she heard footsteps behind her and turned around, seeing Draco striding to catch up to her.

She rolled her eyes and continued up the stairs, ignoring him again. He didn't need to follow her everywhere she went, like some sort of stalker. She heard his pace quicken and she quickened hers, hoping he wouldn't catch up. But, he did and he grabbed her wrist, pulling hard, forcing her to turn around.

"Ow! Malfoy, that hurt!" she said, wrenching her wrist out of his grasp and rubbing her skin, which was rapidly turning from pale to pink.

"Like I care," he quipped.

"Well, you should," she said, glaring. After a moments' pause: "what?"

"What, what?" he asked, looking at her amusedly.

"You didn't just come up her to grab me, and I'm late for class now, so what is it?" she said, exhasperated.

"I want an apology," he said, simply.

Ginny sputtered for a moment, before laughing out loud.

"A-an apology?" she laughed. "You want me to apologise to you? Draco Malfoy?"

Draco scowled, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, I bloody well want an apology. I spent half my night in the hospital wing trying to talk to you only to be brushed off. Malfoy's are never brushed off!" he said, haughtily.

"Except for last night, and now," Ginny said, raising an eyebrow and smirking at Draco. She turned to leave, when Draco burst out, apprently enraged Ginny seemed to always be getting the upper-hand in their banters.

"Shut it, you pathetic Weasley!" Draco yelled to her back. Ginny stopped walking up the stairs and turned around. _Finally,_ Draco thought.

"Pathetic Weasley?" Ginny asked, her eyes glowering with hatred. "I am anything but pathetic, which is more than I can say for you."

"You're annoying as hell, too," Draco said, shot back.

"And now I'm annoying as well. What else is wrong with me?" she demanded, sarcastically.

Draco looked her over, as if sizing her up. "Your head is a tad too big for your body," he said. "Those freckles, they really are quite horrid; your hair, you definitely need work on that. Your personality is rancid, to say the least. In actual fact, over all, you are the worst Weasley I've seen yet," he said, looking at her and smirking. "And that's saying something."

Ginny glared, and crossed her arms, her mind working furiously.

"At least, people actually like me, Malfoy, instead of sucking up to me for my money," she said, in a quiet voice. "At least my father is isn't a bloody Death Eater or a wife beater! Can't your mother stick up for herself, Malfoy? Or is she too afraid to? Like you are every time you see him!" The moment Ginny said that, she regretted it. While it was common knowledge in the pure-blood families that Lucius was an alcoholic, abusive father and husband, it was one of those things that just wasn't spoken about. Draco paled, his cold grey eyes faltering. "I'm sorry," Ginny said, almost immediately, not sure why she was appologizing, or even why she should feel as bad as she did. But somehow, what he said to her wasn't half as terrible as what she had just said to him. They both knew which one was true and which one was only out of spite. "I shouldn't have said that."

"Yes," Draco sneered. "You should learn to keep you bloody mouth shut. Perhaps you could go kill yourself and do the whole world a big fucking favour." And with that, he turned around and strode away, leaving Ginny alone in the corridor, feeling a hundred times worse than she had only an hour earlier.

Biting her lip, she turned around and went to class, knowing she was incredibly late. It didn't matter, though.

_-_

Draco entered his the dorm he shared with his fellow seventh years and slammed the door behind him, making a satisfying noise. Just for good measure, he walked back to the door, opened it and slammed it again, as hard as he could.

"I can't believe the nerve…" he muttered to himself as he strode over to his desk, which was littered with vast amounts of parchments and envelopes. "The little bitch, thinking she can say anything about my family and get away with it," he muttered to himself as he stomped around the room, angrily, hoping to make enough noise as humanly possible. He walked back to the desk and sat at it, glowering at the pieces of paper strewn everywhere; old potions assignments, old essays and homework and of course, letters from home. Taking the latest letter from underneath a Transfiguration sheet (_"Explain, in your own words, why transfiguring animals into objects requires more skill than transfiguring objects into animals."_), he looked at it, re-reading the letter for at least the fiftieth time that week.

_Draco_ (it read)

_As usual, I hope this has found you in good health. You mother and I are planning for your trip home this Christmas vacation. We are expecting you to come, as we have something very important to discuss with you. I will not write it down, as I suspect that that fool Dumbledore may be checking students' mail without our knowledge, but it is obviously related to what we discussed over summer with you._

_You will be please to know that Narcissa has made a full recovery from her fall down the stairs _("I bet it was a fall," Draco muttered.)_ and is anxious to see you. Remember, we are expecting you home and I dare say if you stay at the school over the break, I will be very disappointed in you._

_Do not get into any trouble and remember we expect high marks from you._

_Lucius_

Draco looked at the paper, and wished it would be set on fire; to spontaneously combust into millions of flames. He knew what they wanted to discuss – actually, more like what Lucius wanted to discuss. He knew he was to pledge his loyalty to the Dark Lord. He was going to get the Dark Mark, and he was going to get it in a month's time.

He was slowly counting down the days to his prison sentence.

_-_

Ginny entered her class late, Professor Flitwick sending her a little glare of annoyance but nothing else, and slipped into a seat, next to her dorm mates. Taking her wand out of her bag, along with a quill and parchment, Ginny set down to work, copying what the Flitwick had written on the board already. She chewed on her bottom lip the whole time, a nervous habit she had acquired when she was younger.

She was writing down notes on the sheet, trying to listen to the professor as she thought about what she had said to Draco. Every time she remembered what she said, her stomach did a little dip and her heart squeezed slightly. She felt extremely guilty; now he probably wouldn't ever talk to her again and they would never figure out what was going on. Not that she wasn't unprovoked but… They needed to be able to have a conversation without resorting to firing insults are each other. Sighing, she played with a lock of her hair as she gazed at the professor as he tried to show them the levitating spell, her mind somewhere else.

A piece of parchment flew right in front of her face, startling her out of her revere. Looking down, she saw that it was a folded square of parchment, with '_Ginny_' written on it. By the looks of it, it was her friend, Anna's writing.

Glancing over at Anna, who nodded and motioned to the note, she picked it up and unfolded it discreetly. Looking down, she read:

_You're staring at the professor, Gin and biting your bottom lip. Trust me, he's totally not your type. Ha, ha, just joking, hon. Anything up?_

_-A._

Ginny looked over at Anna, who was now braiding her brown hair, then back at the parchment, thinking. She was desperate to tell someone. It felt horrible keeping it all inside. She needed to tell someone what was happening with the gem. Plus, whatever was going on between her and Draco. And someone who wasn't Hermione. Anna was smart, even if others thought all she cared about was superficial things. Anna was quite brilliant, even if she herself didn't see it.. Though she was Muggle-born, she had fit right into the Wizarding world. It would seem to any wizard or witch that Anna Edwards was one you played with on your street in Hogsmeade as a child.

But… Could she trust Anna? Sighing, made a quick decision and wrote a quick note back:

_Meet me in the Library at 8 tonight. I'll tell you then._

_Ginny._

Sending it back to Anna, Ginny hoped she was doing the right thing.

_-_

Ron and Hermione sat in the common room, Hermione reading, Ron clucking his tongue rather distractedly. _Cluck, cluck, cluck…_

"Could you please cut that out?" Hermione snapped, annoyed, from behind her book.

"Cut what out?" Ron asked, looking at her.

"You clucking… your tongue!" she said, bringing the book down to look at him over the top of the cover. "I'm trying to read," she added, unnecessarily.

"Aw, Hermione, you're _always_ trying to read!" Ron whined, sounding like a four-year-old. "Can't we do something fun for once? It's a Friday night for Gods' sake!" He looked at Hermione, his brown eyes wide with pleading, his short red hair spiked slightly from him running his hand through it earlier. If chocolate pudding had been around his mouth, he would have really looked like a four-year-old boy.

Hermione put the book down, sighing. He looked so cute staring at her like that. "I suppose," she said, as she bookmarked the place. "But what's there to do? There's only limited fun in this castle, Ron," she added, that educated tone creeping in her voice. Ron scowled.

"Let's go find Harry," he said, shortly. "We'll figure something out then."

"All right," Hermione said, getting up. "Let me go put this book up in my room and I'll be back in a moment." She ran up the stairs and Ron threw himself into the armchair. 'Be back in a moment' meant about fifteen minutes of waiting while Hermione brushed her hair and put on lip-gloss and all those _girlie_ things she was doing lately. He was afraid that Lavender and Parvarti had got to her, but the fact that she still acted all-knowing around him soothed his heart somewhat. He still didn't know why she was doing that lately, though. It confused him. Girls, in general, confused him.

Sighing, he glanced around the common room. There weren't many people in there, a few groups of girls here and there, seeing as it was a Friday night. Boys hung about in pairs, wandering in and out of the common room every now and then, trying to find something to entertain themselves with.

Most of the people had actually headed down to the Gryffindor Quidditch practise, just to amuse themselves. Looking around again, Ron saw that one group of girls in the corner were whispering furtively. They each shot him a glance, then broke into gales of laughter. Ron scowled and looked away.

Just then, the portrait door opened and Dean walked in, carrying his backback and looking a little frustrated. He must have just come from the library, trying to do one of the thousand essays assigned to the 7th year Grffindors. Ron was about to just nod at Dean when he remembered that Dean had gone to check up on Ginny.

"Oi!" he called to Dean, as the fellow seventh year was about to head up stairs. Dean turned around and ambled over to Ron.

"Hey mate," he said, sitting down in the chair across from Ron. "Anything on the go?"

"Did you talk to Gin?" Ron asked, leaning forward in the chair and giving Dean his best serious look.

"Oh…" Dean's face turned slightly red. "Uh, no, I couldn't find her…"

Ron looked hard at Dean. "I see…" he said, at last. "Well, if you do see her, see if she's OK."

"Sure," Dean said, once again cool. Dean got up and walked over to the stairs, disappearing around the bend as he ascended the boys' dormitory. Ron glared after him, his eyes dark and concerned. That hadn't seemed right. Ron worried that everyone was lying to him, keeping him out of something important. He didn't like people keeping secrets from him. He'd just find out in the end; better tell him now and get it over with.

"All right!" Hermione said, coming downstairs and standing in front of him. He looked up and noticed she was definitely wearing make-up. What was with that? he wondered, as he got up.

Why was Hermione start acting so strangely now? He sighed and followed her out the Common Room, down the to Quidditch Pitch, where Harry should just be finishing practise about now.

There were too many bloody questions in life for Ron.

_-_

Anna entered the girl's dormitory to find Raina lying upon her bed, a huge book open on her lap.

"Studying?" Anna asked, after taking a brush from the dresser and sitting on her bed as well. Raina snorted and shook her head, smiling.

"Just reading up on some interesting legends," she said, as she turned a page, her long blonde hair falling over the book. Anna smiled to herself as she looked at herself in the mirror. Raina was constantly into myths and legends, Anna noticed as she tried on some lip-gloss and sat back, trying to gauge its appeal. Grimacing, she wiped at it with the back of her hand, and turned back to Raina.

"Rai," she said, "do you have any good lipstick?" Raina looked up and shook her head.

"Always with the make-up aren't you, Anna?" Anna blushed.

"Is it bad that I like to look good?" Anna asked, getting up and walking over to Raina. "What exactly are you reading there?" she inquired, sitting down on the bed beside one of her best friends. Raina looked up, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Oh, Anna, it's one of the more exciting legends I've read in a while!" she said, grinning.

"In other words, boring to the rest of the world?" Anna asked, laughing lightly. Raina stuck her tongue out at Anna and pushed her lightly.

"Blah, blah, blah," she said, looking at Anna again. "You think anything not to do with boys or make-up is boring."

"That's not true!" Anna said, standing up and going over to her bed. "I've got some depth to me."

"Oh yeah?" Raina intoned from her bed. "Prove it then, girl."

"I will," Anna said, getting on her hands and knees and searching for something under her bed. After a moment of dust bunnies and curses, Anna crawled back out, smiling madly. "Here," she said, throwing a silver box at Raina and sitting on her own bed, watching Raina warily.

"What this?" Raina asked, as she took the box and turned it around in her hand. The silver had been carved beautifully, depicting scenes of angels and trumpets. It looked very old and expensive.

"Just open it," Anna said, grabbing a pillow and smiling to herself.

"Oh wow…" Raina said, as she shifted through the contents. "Where did you get these?" she asked, taking out various pieces of jewels and ornaments.

"Around," Anna shrugged. "I've been collecting them since I was nine. Ever since my Nana died and left me my first piece of magical jewellery."

"Anna," Raina said, at lost for words. "All these… they're… wow. They're gorgeous." Raina kept digging through the box, finally producing a lion pin. It was red and gold, the gold seemingly real, a glisten of luxury. The red were rubies, and there were a lot of them too. The lion roared, its call magnified in the room, and it shook its mane, as though happy to be free of the box. The ruby eyes looked straight at Raina and roared again, waving it's paws in the air slightly. It was old, antique almost, but it looked near perfect in its condition. "What's this?" Raina asked, her eyes wide.

"That," Anna said, simply, "is Godric Gryffindor's cloak pin."

_-_

Draco entered the library, his eyes scanning the room like a predator looking for its prey. After hours of sitting in his room and seething about his father, his life and Ginny, he decided that he was just going to get it over with and talk to her; no distractions, no excuses. It had gone on long enough and he, for one, was fed up with her behaviour. Finally, his narrowed eyes settled on the petite redhead sitting at the far back table, where Ginny was studying. He stalked over to her and a sat down in the chair across from her, expecting her to at least look up.

But Ginny continued to write; ignoring Draco.

"Weasley," he whispered, in a low voice, looking down upon her. She raised her face once, rolling her eyes, before continuing to write on. "We need to talk."

"Why don't you go raise a pack of wild ferrets, Malfoy? Can't you see I'm busy?" she asked, without looking up once from the parchment she was writing upon. Sneering, Draco grabbed the quill out of her hands and broke it in two. "Hey!" she said, looking up angrily. "You're going to replace that!"

"Fine. I'll replace it, if you agree to talk to me,' Draco said, trying very hard to stick to the game-plan.

"What is it, Malfoy?" Ginny said wearily. "I'm trying to _work_, if you even know what that is."

"Not here," he said, "Somewhere else."

"Fine,' Ginny said, angrily, standing up quickly and ignoring the glare coming from Madame Prince. "Fine!" she said stacking her books one on top of the other, hard, making them slam into each other. "This really better be worth it, Malfoy! You better leave me alone after this."

"Oh, believe me, I will," he said stonily, as he grabbed her elbow and steered her out of the library, trying to pretend that everyone in the library was not gawking at the two of them with their jaws hanging open. He sure hope this scene didn't get back to his father.

"Could you slow down?" she asked, when they were out of the library and in the hall. "I'm not as tall as you, remember?"

"For once, Weasley, just be quiet, all right?" Draco said out of the corner of his mouth, yet he slowed slightly. Ginny remained quiet, while he led her down the stairs and outside. She didn't even complain about not having a cloak out in the cold air even though the wind ripped through her robe like a knife slicing through air. It was a bitter, bitter wind and Ginny shivered right down to her core. But something inside of her told her not to complain. It seemed that Draco was in a horrid mood and Ginny didn't want to provoke him right now. Who knew what he would do? He might throw her in the lake for all she knew. Draco suddenly stopped and Ginny noticed with a bit of irony that they had stopped right by the lake. Throwing it a glare, she turned to Draco and waited for him to speak. "I think it's time that we sorted this all out," he said, looking right at her. For some reason it gave her the chills.

"Sort… The dreams out?" Ginny questioned. Draco nodded.

"And that stone of yours," he added, looking down at her collar. With her robes slightly undone (as the library had been a bit stifling), he could see the gem resting against the pale of her skin. It glittered in the moonlight, twinkling like an innocent star.

Against everything his brain was screaming at him, he felt his hand rise and skim over Ginny's shoulder, to her collar, fingers dancing lightly against her, before picking up the gem in his hand. He felt Ginny stop breathing for a moment, as she stared at him, wide-eyed.

His hand closed over the gem, and he gripped it tightly, feeling the oddest sensation tickling his palm. He squeezed it slightly, as though testing its internal structure. Opening his hand when he felt the tickling sensation again, he saw that it was glowing. It was as if the sun shone from within, coming out in a green cascade of colour.

"Do you see this?" he asked, staring at it, slightly taken aback.

"Yes," Ginny said, looking up at him. "It has happened before."

"I don't know about this…" he said. Ginny suddenly took it out of his hand and placed it back upon her chest. She closed up her robes; wrapping them around her as though she was hugging herself. She lowered her eyes to the ground, staring at the almost blue grass in the moonlight. "You need to get rid of it," he said, suddenly.

"What?" Ginny snapped, looking up at him. "Get rid of it? Why?" She looked up at him, anger and confusion in her eyes. "Why would we do that?"

"Well, it's obviously dark magic!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air at the density of the girl in front of him. "Think about it, have you ever heard about necklaces that glow or change physical appearances?" he asked, lifting up strands of her hair and letting it fall through his fingertips like water. Ginny glared at him and backed up.

"Why would you care?" she asked, "You're going to be a Death Eater – dark magic is your _thing_." When Draco didn't reply, she looked at him again. "Maybe you want me to get rid of it so you can have it for yourself. Maybe you know what it really does and you want it all for yourself."

"Oh yes," Draco sneered, "I really want some jewellery so I can rule the world."

Ginny glared at him again, and walked forward. "Well," she said, standing as tall as she could to look him right in the eye, "you aren't going to get it! Not even over my dead body." The fiery glint in her eye put Draco on the alert. He had seen gazes like that before and it wasn't natural.

"You're obsessed with the stone," he said, matter-of-factly.

"No, I'm not," she hissed. "I could get rid of it right now if I wanted."

"Then get rid of it." Draco crossed his arms.

"Oh, right, so then you can steal it?"

"No!" Draco yelled. "Bloody hell. _Again!_ This is not what I wanted to talk about!"

"What did you want to talk about?" Ginny glared at him. "The dreams? Ask away, because I don't know anything more than you, Malfoy."

"I was thinking…" Draco ground out, apparently close to his wits' end.. "We try to find out who these people are that are in our dreams. They can't just be figments of our imagination. They either need to represent something or be real themselves. They're the cause of all these weird things happening around us," he said, gesturing around with his hands.

"Fine," Ginny agreed. "We'll look around the library for whoever these people are."

"Good." Ginny turned to leave, when Draco caught her arm. She didn't protest, she simply looked back at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "Weasley… Ginny," Draco said, "put the gem away. Hide it until we know what it is."

"No," Ginny said, placing a hand over her chest and turning fully around to face Draco. "It's mine."

"I'm not going to say it again, Ginny. Put it away." Draco's voice held a tone of warning, but Ginny simply glowered.

"Don't give me orders like I'm a house-elf, Malfoy."

"I'm not," Draco protested. "But I've seen that look in your eyes before. I think it could very well be a dangerous piece of magic."

"I'll do what I please," Ginny said, her streak of independence obvious.

"I can't let you," Draco said, grabbing her other wrist. Ginny wince, not out of pain, but out of fear of what he may do, but said nothing. "You cannot wear that thing."

"I – I will," Ginny voice shook as Draco glared at her and placed both of her wrists in one hand, leaving on of his hands free. "Malfoy, touch me, I swear to Gods I will push you into the lake!" Ginny warned. Draco paid no heed. With a violent gesture, he ripped the stone from her neck, the chain now hanging from his hand as he held the stone itself. With a cry of anger, Ginny pushed all her weight against Draco, making him lose his balance and fall backwards into the lake. Only Ginny had forgotten that Draco was still holding onto her and, she too, fell in with a cry.

There was a resounding splash as water flew up in the air and the two figures sank underwater, before both disappearing completely in the bubbles of the commotion.

_-_

_Draco wasn't sure where he was. He was dry. And he was alone. He looked around, trying to figure out how he came to be here._

_He seemed to be in some sort of pasture, fields of tall grass stretching endlessly for miles, blowing gently in the wind. The sky was the purest blue he had ever seen, not a trace of clouds anywhere, and, it too, seemed to be forever expanding. Birds flew overhead, in flocks, calling to each other, their cries resounding about the plane of grass. They flew past him, quite low and the wind whipped his hair, making him almost spin with the flock as they rushed past him, screeching. He stared after them, when he noticed one of the smaller birds broke away from the flock, making a beautiful arc in the sky, flying down, down to… land on a milky white shoulder._

_Draco looked up, and gaped. Ginny, again…? What was she doing here? The woman, in a beautiful dress made of blue, which flowed down to the ground, walked towards him, her steps graceful. The dress, which had a black corset, pushed her cleavage up, and slimmed her waist, as the long sleeves seemed to be attached to her hands with small rings around the middle fingers. Her eyes were deep brown, her lips red and plump and she seemed never to waver her gaze as she walked towards him, her hips swaying slightly, the blue and white train following her as she walked. It couldn't be Ginny… he had never seen Ginny look this seductive before._

_"Draco," the goddess breathed as she stepped in front of him. "Welcome. Welcome to my Sídhe."_

_-_

**Author's Note:** Just so you don't think I'm pulling all these names and words out of thin air, most of the names have significance and these immortals are, in fact, real Celtic Gods and Goddesses. Sídhe is a sort of a plane in the otherworld where the Gods live for the most part. You will find out more about it in coming chapters. I have all this to thank for from my Celtic mythology dictionary and to Irina, as well, for introducing me to Celtic mythology. It is very interesting stuff, if you want to check it out.

One more thing: If you want to get an email when I update my stories instead of losing track of them, just go to my profile and follow the links to sign up!

Remember, be kind and review. It can only make the story better.


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